CSA will not listen to the man, only the woman
Having split up in July 2008, I decided that I would like to see my child at regular intervals and fully co-operate with the CSA to help with the expenses.
I was saddled with many debts incurred during my short marriage and will be paying these back for some years to come. My wife, who made herself bankrupt, became adept at collecting store cards in my name and racking up many thousands of pounds. Every week is a surprise as credit card companies present me with the fruits of her spending whilst I was in Afghanistan! I digress!
I applied for a variation in December 2008 and supported my case with documentary evidence that took a lot of time to prepare. A sum was arranged and believing in the concept of full co-operation I immediately set up a standing order for the stipulated amount.
There were back payments included and so the agreed date for the first payment was 28th February 2009.
On the 6th February 2009 I received numerous harassing phone calls from the CSA asking for an immediate payment of £320.00. It would appear that my wife had made telephone contact with the CSA and had been ’shouting and screaming on the phone’ for more money. Believe me she can shout and scream.’ It would appear that all bets are off. In spite of all of the evidence that I had prepared and the original quoted figure the payments are set to soar. This in spite of the fact that the basis of her verbal contribution was based on lies.
Again whilst on holiday I received many calls from the CSA, quoting allegations made by my wife, all of them lies. In spite of this they appear to have deferred to her. What was the point of all of my hard work!
I am now entering a well trodden road starting with a letter to my M.P. There seems no point in complaining direct as I have no confidence in the complaints procedure.
What is the point? I really don’t know. It seems that those fathers who are in the bracket of both caring and willing to pay are the main target of the CSA. I am not hopeful of really achieving anything out of this as there seems to be no fairness in the system and nowhere that is independent. It seems to be taken for granted that the husband will not honour his obligations and will resort to all sorts of trickery to avoid payment.
One shining light in all of this is the fact that in spite of all of the obstacles that have been put in the way I still manage to see my little girl (had to go to court for that!) I suppose one other is the fact that every day that I wake up I am grateful that my decree absolute is one day closer. Do what you will CSA!
Andy.
7 thoughts on “CSA will not listen to the man, only the woman”
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Hi Andy,
I’m sure there are many men that will agree with the ‘title’ of your post – However, there are also women that will believe the opposite to be correct.
Have a look at http://www.afairercsaforall.co.uk/, the forum offers free help and advice to ALL parents dealing with the Agency.
The CSA don’t listen to the male because they are biased from the very outset, it’s how they work. Any woman who goes to the CSA to ask them to collect maintenance immediately gets the radar going of the staff, they must sit there with the attitude of ,, if the woman has had to ask for our help in collecting maintenance then the beggar hasn’t paid or won’t pay,, they don’t see that there are women out there who use the CSA purrely as a punishment to the father and a way to bring him to his knees. The agency was initially set up to lower and ease the burden of single mothers on the benefit system for the countrys tax payers, now it’s about how much money can be ploughed into the government pot quickly enough before they have to go and spend another 38 billion pounds on their new fancy I.T system to help set up CMEC.
What a waste of time effort and money the whole charade is, 3 I.T systems running together, poeple on cscs ( csa1) who should have been on CSA2 by now and aren’t and so on, does the liar James Purnell think that CMEC is going to be any better?!!!!! wake up. It’s broken , doesn’t work, is full of anti misandry and is more biased than Germaine Greer on smack!!!!!!!!
Could not agree with you more SB –
Andy also share your sentiment and frustration – when will this agency be denounced for what it is – they seek to chase and persecute the easy targets – those that are already paying and want to pay and leave alone the too hard to do crowd who are self employed etc.. – without doubt both sides are let down by this system and I wait the day that this system gets its comeuppance for the true travesty that it is..
when you tell csa that you’ve had a pay rise it takes them months to finally come to an new payment plan and then they want stupid amounts of money off you all in one go like for instance i told them i had a pay rise in october 2008 and they’ve only just got back intouch with me now and its march 2009, about my new monthly payments and there demanding £328 off me when i only used to pay £71 then next month its £152 then for the next 11 months its £112, why cant they spread out the arrears instead of pressuring you into paying all at once dont they think you’ve got other household bills to pay!!!!!!!!!!!
What rubbish, your comments have no foundation as your are speaking from the point of veiw that it is always men who pay child surpport! I’m in a minority, in as much as i both receive and make payments. This system was set up because there was a need to be filled……. Parents not taking responsibilty for their children. I know of many men that do and some women that don’t. But you very much sound like someone with a bleeding heart. What a shame for you! No the system is not perfect and i have had more than my share of problems however as long as there are people who have your attitude towards paying a resonable amount for their child/children then there will have to been a body to sort YOU out.
Rebeeca – how very sanctamonious of you..
The system fails everyone – but possibly most of all the children – you cannot mix emotions with finances and win.
In my 14 yrs experience with the CSA i have never had an accurate assessment – every reassessment has taken months and caused much frustration – this in my case due to the constant bombardment to them by my ex who is creaming money – I spend almost as much in maintaining contact with my kids and providing them clothes she does not..
The system is stacked against the man – in the vast majority of cases and tht is unfair.. the whole system as far as I can see is an oppotunity for an ex partner to flog financially the NRP – even the terminology riles..
Unfair – Unjust – and over here ..
Well said!! I share your fustration!!! Pay rise? am the same taken 5 months to re calculate!!!! a joke!!! My payments r now up and am u able to afford the fuel to see my son so am off to tribunal! oh the joys of csa! Its seems not all but most mothers screw the dads that pay and work for as much money as they can!! How much money does it really cost to raisr a child??? flat rate i say! u all get the same child benifit!! that way the fathers can spend all there extra money on there child/children not lining the pockets of the ex wife!!!